“Life without you is like; Facebook without friends, YouTube without videos, and Google with no results…”
Unknown
YouTube is changing the way we view and consume media, for better for for worse. And beauty and YouTube go together like peas & carrots, peanut butter & jelly or hairdressers & coffee. You get our drift. Over 1 million results come up when searching beauty, hair and hair how-to, is one of those search results your channel?
If you have a YouTube channel for your brand or salon, there is one really important step you must take to ensure all of your social channels are connected, which is a big part of discovery on the social + digital web. Meaning, where else can people engage with you.
Here is a simple How-To. Enjoy.
Step One
Log onto your YouTube channel, go to your “home page” and click Edit on the right hand side of the screen.
Step Two
A box will appear at the bottom of this area. Type in the social or digital platform name you want to add. Then type in the URL (web address) where you want the link to take people. (be sure it’s your unique URL address i.e. www.facebook.com/passionsquared, not just www.facebook.com)
Step Three
Once you have added the Name and URL, simply click Apply. It’s always good to test the links just to be sure you are connecting everything to the right place. And if it got messed up, no biggie, just click on Edit, delete it and begin again.
Congratulations! You now are officially more connected. It’s time to get busy liking, favoriting, and creating video content for your fans & followers.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
“Build it, and they will come” only works in the movies. Social Media is a “build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay.”
Seth Godin
Happy Giving Tuesday, yes, that is the new term being used after the shopping frenzy’s known as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday and a day dedicated to giving back to those in need through charitable donations. Very important indeed.
Today we wanted to focus on Cyber Monday as we see a huge opportunity for salons to become part of the estimated $1.42 billion dollars spent yesterday. How you ask? Well let’s first take a look at the stats in this awesome infographic.
Now lets talk about how you can be part of this online shopping frenzy, not only to increase revenue but more importantly to offer value, convenience and options for your clients.
One of the coolest trends we see is the shift towards gifting experiences over “things”. And what better gift is there than an experience in your salon or spa?
So we gotta ask…
1. Do you offer Online Appointment Booking?
2. Do you offer Gift Cards (that are able to be purchased online?)
3. Do you offer Series or Packages of your services (that are able to be purchased online?)
There are several ways you can begin to engage in the online sales world, not just for Cyber Monday, but 365 days a year to increase engagement, traffic and ultimately sales.
One small business we work with offers packages to their clients, available for purchase online, and ran a special between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and sold $8000 in packages. Yes, you read that right. Wow.
Did you offer any Cyber Monday specials? Are you considering offering online sales in the future? Two very important questions to ask yourself as we move into 2013.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
“When Instagram was down, I ran around town shouting “like” at flowers, dogs and expensive hamburgers”
via @laurenlaborde on Twitter
It’s clear that Instagram continues to be the latest social obsession. Over 10 million photos mentioning Thanksgiving were shared on Instagram on Thursday, a new record, WOW!
In a blog a few weeks ago, we shared about the new Web Profiles, one step closer to connecting your Instagram creations with the world. Now they have added Badges, to connect your Instagram Web Profile to your website or blog site, which will increase your engagement + connections.
How To Add the Instagram Badge to Your Site
Step One
Go to your Web Profile by typing in the URL www.instagram.com/your Instagram name here and click on your name, then click Badges.
Step Two
Click on the Badge you would like to embed into your site.
Step Three
Copy the code and embed it into your site. If you do not know how to embed code on your Blogsite or Website, ask your Webmaster, IT guy/gal (smart person), or whoever in your world helps you with this kind of stuff.
This is what the Badges look like once they are embedded. Cool, right? Click on the Badge and see where it takes you!
To learn more about Instagram Web Profiles, check out our previous blog on the topic, then go check out your page, and start sharing the love with your community.
We are still using Statigram on our site, which is awesome too. We have also claimed our Webstagram page, also awesome.
Running Instagram Contests on Statigram
On a total side note, if you are interested in running a Photo Contest on Instagram, Statigram has a super easy Toolkit to help you run contests, which can increase the fun and engagement of your community. Go to Statigram to learn more.
We will most likely switch to the official Instagram Badge as we expect Instagram Web Profiles to ultimately be more engaging then some of the other platforms. But only time will tell, as is with everything in this wild and wonderful social evolution.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas, Nina + Gordon)
PS: You can follow us on Instagram @passionsquared
“We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.”
Albert Einstein
We love TEDTalks, as many of you who read Passion Squared know, and this one may be our all time faves! In about 3 minutes, this video illustrates how to start a movement, powerful stuff!
Many of us have seen this awesome video before, but what may be new to you, as it was to us, is how Derek Sivers breaks it down into a powerful lesson on leadership. Whether you are a leader, want to be a leader, or the very important follower, this is something you will not want to miss.
Now add the power of the social + digital web to the equation, and the sky’s the limit.
So jump off this blog, and go start one! We cannot wait to see you dance.
(discovered on Mashable and shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
“We are completely underestimating the value of thank you and you’re welcome.”
Gary Vaynerchuk, author of The Thank You Economy
Thank you. Two simple words that may possibly be the most important to your business. And in this week of giving thanks, we all need a little reminder about the power of thank you.
A Passion for Caring
If you have spent any time on PassionSquaredTV, you have seen his highly charged, passionate videos on the future of business, about caring, about giving a sh*t. If you have not watched his videos, we recommend you do, they are thought provoking & loaded with awesome insights into the social + digital revolution and what it’s really all about. We heart him, f-bombs and all!
As Our World Goes All Jetsons
In The Thank You Economy, Gary speaks directly to how businesses must get into a mindset of gratitude, of caring, of coming from a place of thanks, just like the good old days. He speaks to how consumers are demanding more connection, value and relationships from the people they choose to do business with. Gary says, “As our world goes all “Jetsons” the opportunity for people and businesses is to go all “flintstones.” And since many of us either grew up watching both, or have seen re-runs, we know exactly what that means.
Quotes from The Thank You Economy
“It’s not about the budget, it’s about the creativity and the caring.”
“Be driven by gratitude.”
“It’s not the number of followers… , it’s the strength of your bond with your followers that indicates how much anyone cares about what you have to say.”
The Thank You Economyis all about the power of caring, engaging, giving a sh*t and how businesses and brands that get it will thrive in the new social economy! Awesome. We heart and highly recommend.
You can find Gary on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and by visiting his website here Gary Vaynerchuk.
(shared with LOVE + GRATITUDE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
